February 6, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) came up just short in a tightly contested Frontier Conference men's basketball battle Friday night, falling to No. 23 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 60-58 at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Battlin' Bears earned the league's season series sweep of the Trojans, both games decided by one possession (RMC defeated DSU 48-45 on Jan. 3 in Billings, Mont.).

Dakota State fell to 16-6 overall record and 11-6 record in the conference.  Rocky Mountain extended their winning streak to 10 games, raising their overall record to 20-3 and 15-2 record in the conference.

How it happened

The Trojans opened strong, taking an early 10-5 advantage after back-to-back baskets from Lukas Morgan and Ryan Beckwith with fourteen minutes and forty-three seconds on the clock.

Dakota State pushed its lead to seven (15-8) midway through the opening half after Nathan Ojukwu's layup with 9:45 to go.

Rocky Mountain answered with a decisive run fueled by Drew Bowman and Omari Nesbit, closing the first half with a 22-8 scoring run.  The Battlin' Bears took a 30-23 halftime lead after a Nesbit three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Rocky Mountain shot 50 percent from the field (11-of-22 field goals) and 60 percent from three (6-of-10 3-pointers) in the opening half.  DSU was held to 35.7 percent from the field (10-of-28 field goals) and 3-of-9 from the 3-point arc (33.3 percent).

Rocky Mountain extended its lead to as many as 13 points early in the second half (44-31 with 10:42 remaining after Bowman's 3-pointer).  The Battlin' Bears held the Trojans to 17.6 percent from the field (3-of-17 field goals) for first 10-plus minutes of the second half.

Dakota State chipped away and stormed back with a monstrous 17-4 scoring run. The Trojans tied the game at 48-48 with 3:46 remaining after Brayden Pankonen's basket. 

The teams traded free throws in the final minutes. Kaleel Sutton-White hit a fast-break three with eight seconds left to cut the deficit to one (59-58).

After Rocky Mountain made one of two free throws, Dakota State had a final opportunity, but the Trojans could not convert in the closing seconds.

DSU outscored RMC 35-30 in the final twenty minutes of the game.  The Trojans were 11-of-30 from the field in the second half (36.7 percent) and held the Battlin' Bears to 29.2 percent from the field (7-of-24 field goals). 

RMC was 14-of-18 from the free-throw line in the second half, while DSU was 11-of-18 free-throws.

Individual and Team Statistics

Dakota State (58)

Lukas Morgan
18 points, 5 rebounds

Nathan Ojukwu
11 points, 12 rebounds (double-double)

Kaleel Sutton-White
10 points off the bench

Brayden Pankonen
8 points

Dakota State finished:

• 21-58 field goals (36.2 percent)
• 5-18 3-point field goals (27.8 percent)
• 11-20 free throws (55 percent)
• 41 rebounds
• 28 points in the paint

Rocky Mountain (60)

Omari Nesbit
13 points

Royce Robinson
12 points, 8 rebounds

Jacob Bilodeau
10 points

Mekhi Jourdan
10 points

Rocky Mountain shot:

• 18-46 field goals (39.1 percent)
• 8-16 3-point field goals (50 percent)
• 16-24 free throws (66.7 percent)
• 34 rebounds

Team Comparison

Category	RMC	DSU
Points in Paint	18	28
Points off Turnovers	10	13
Second Chance	7	10
Fast Break	2	6
Bench Points	13	14

Up next
Dakota State hosts Carroll (Mont.) Saturday evening in another Frontier Conference men's basketball action at DSU Fieldhouse.  Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.  Hawaiian is the theme to the basketball game.  Law Enforcement Appreciation Night will also be held.